News and citizen. [volume] (Morrisville, Vt. ;) 1881-current, 1887-10-06

Mrs. Dalton drove ont with her frien
and child, and did some shopping. A
they returned to the comfortable viii
near Regents Park, they met woman
carrying parcel in her hand, evidentl.
bound for Il journey.
''Why, thai is Parker, is it not /!
Edith said suddenly; sis she going away
Lucy Z"
Parker was the housemaid at the villa
Eyes, Mrs Dalton murmured, stop
ping with a hurried gesture to pusl
some parcels on to the seat opposite
''She has b. N waiting to 60 home fo1
some time, and thought now Herber
was away it was Il good chance to Civ,
/ her holiday"
Edith ac Iuiesccl in this, and did no
! observe Lucy's face flush crimson aui
| then fade t. leathly palloras she spoke
/ indeed, at that moment they turned il
ut the gates, and Parker was forgotten
| The two women dined rather drearily
for Lucy was strangely dull, and Edith
was suddenly attacked by an unusua
and disagrecable toothache.
"Why not go to bed, Filth 2" Mrs
Dalton suggested as the clock struck
and they were back in the drawing
room.
Edith felt desperately cross with her
self. "a nice person am to cheer any
one, she thought viciously. She WI:
more than annoyed that so trivial b !:
painful an ailment should visit her when
she was the poSSessOr of so rarely white
and even a set of teeth. She was not
! easily beaten, but after half and houl
had gone, during which she had been
too uncomfortable to notice the strange
restless mlnnor in which L1cy fidgeSed
about, she threw up the sponge and de,
clared for bed.
''Let me bring you some brandy and
water, and it will make you Sleep was
Mrs. DaltOn's eager request.
And Edith was obliged to permit he1
friend to perform this charitable Office,
and see her to her room. She babe
Lucy goodnight, and after wild desire
to bang her head against the wall, drank
the brandy with a shudder, and after a
short while dropped off into delightful
slumber, in which every twinge of pain
was lost. All at once she awoke with a
start, and her head beat in an uneven
fashion: she sat up in bed and looked at
her watch-just II o'clock; she had
slept, then, over two hours soundly, aud
the refractory tooth was subdued. She
was slipping her watch under her pillow
when again she started; it had been no
delusiOn, footsteps were passing down
the landing. Like flash Edith was
out of bed and had thrown on her dress
ing-gown. Her courage faltercd for n
moment, for Edith was only a girl, and
hideous stories of pistols and hasty
shooting by latterday burglars came to
her mind; but it was only fora moment;
then taking her candle in hand, she
went as noisalessly as possible to the
head of the stairs aad passed down. All
was still, and from the Pickering light
of the hall lamp she could see there was
no one left as sentinel or SPY; so she de-
termined, not without curious sensa-
tion at heart, to creep boldly down,
and then go back aud rorrse.
the house. She 1nnde very little noise
and at last stood in the hall.
Hearing a faint voice she paused
to listen before proceeding. The next
instant she was at the dining room door,
and had thrown it wide open.
A smothcred woman's shrek and an
oath greeted her, and lump seemed to
rise in her throat.
.'Lucy," she said, in choked, hardly
audible tones, ''your child is upstairs
and needs you at once
Without n word, but with a face as
white as death, Lucy passed her in the
doorway, and the quick step up the
stairs testified to the existence of the
mothers sudden dread and pain.
The man left thus stranded was young,
of dark, handsome type, attired in
evening dress.
He stared at the girl before him with
a contracted brow, and looked, rs he
must have felt, wretchedly i'll at ease.
''You, sir, whoever you may be, please
leave this house Mt once. y
Z lith's hand sought the door for sup
port; though she kept so bold a front
her limbs We're tre milling beyond her
control.
He looked at her Young face, rigid in
its contempt and horror. and despite his
anger could not but admire her. She
made pretty picture III her scarlet
gown, with hair dark and loose on her
shoulders, but the admiration was but
mOmentary.
''This is Mrs. Dalton's house. [ am
here at her invitation. | leave it only
mt her request, he answered shortly.
Il will ring up the servants and have
you thrown ont, she replied.
"And so compromise your dear
friend, ," he said, with Il sneer. "By all
means; am perfectly willing.
Edith drew a short breath.
''You are coward, she said quietly;
then before he could speak she went on
very slowly and with great deliberation.
''Lucy is upstairs. | am alone with
you; the scandal, therefore, will fall on
me. Now, shall | call the servants, or
will you go:"
"By Jove," he muttcred under his
breath.
He had never come across this sort of
woman before; his eyes Just met hers,
and at the unutterable disgust and con
tempt in them he was abashel; he took
up his hat and sauntcred ont of the
room without saying one word. Edith
followed him, and closed the door her
self upon him; then, shaking like Il leaf,
she went into the dining-room, eXtin-
glished the lights, and then crept up
stairs, feeling that for once in her life
all her strength and courage were hope
lessly gone.
The event Just passed had lasted bare
Iy three minutes, but its result was
none the less painful.
As she reached the upper landing she
felt some one clasp her knees, and then
crouch down at her feet, and all her
nerve returned.
With her strong young arm she lifted
ND Lucy, who was weeping bitterly, and
almost carried her into her own bed
room, and the rest of the night she
spent in trying to soothe and console
the Door foolish moth who had fiuttared
SO near the candle, and by her aid had
escaDed: for before morning came Edith
had learnt all she wanted to know; and,
save for her supreme folly and weak
ness. Lucy Dalton had done nothing to
herself from her husbands life.
Mr. Dalton returned to his cosy home
full of spirits, and Edith met him with
az much light-heartcd manner as she
could assume.
81 am afraid you will never leave me
Lucy's guardian again, Herbert, she
said; "for you will find her rather shat
-ered. She caught cold one day drIv-
ing. and [ have kept her indoors ever
since"
She did not stay in the room as she
finished this speech, but as she shut
,he door, she caught n glimpse OF
Lucy's golden head buried on her nus
)and's shoulder, and she was content.
81 think she has learnt her lesson,
she thought to herself, "and now / Will
rot home to papa.
Mr.. Lascelles welcomed his daughter
81 got your, letter,